One of the most important parts when hunting whitetail deer is knowing what phase of the season you are in. This is not a very laboring task to do, there are key features throughout the year that will indicate this. Once the last doe has been bred, the bucks are run down and will usually keep to them selves for a while. During this time is when the older more mature bucks are vulnerable to harvest. At this time, the bucks will be hitting food sources and watering holes trying to recover from the intense and long rut. When the weather turns cold and the snow hit’s the ground, standing food sources are a crucial part of your hunting plan. These bucks will stay solitary for a week or two and then join back into their bachelor groups, same as early season.
There are several options for hunting late season bucks. The first is to hunt standing or cut crop fields, these hold a lot of food even if they have been cut, and will attract those worn down bucks. The second choice is to hunt “Green” fields. There are a lot of different theories about how to rotate food plots for late season, but if there is a consistent green field, there will always be deer in there eating. It is up to personal preference, and if there is crop or food plot access on the property. The advantage of having soybeans on a property is that it provides 26% protein compared to Corn, which only has 7% but will attract deer more than beans. One thing to know for sure is that deer need three things, food, water and cover. When the snow limit’s the deer’s browsing sources, grain and green fields are the place to be.
